1980s: Zen Buddhism has a hundred-year history in the United States. There are many Zen centers in cities throughout the nation. Many people are attracted to Zen through the work of Snyder, who first became interested in Zen in the 1950s.

Today: Zen Buddhism and other branches of Buddhism continue to grow steadily in the United States. The branch that has recently attracted most attention is Tibetan Buddhism. Much of this has been due to the popularity of the Dalai Lama and the publicity given to the cause of Tibet in its conflict with China by Hollywood personalities like Richard Gere, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Seagal.

1980s: In Axe Handles, Snyder continues to advocate responsibility to a sense of community and shared culture. He admires cultures that consist of small, self-governing communities.

Today: As Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000), by Robert Putnam, demonstrates...